Promised land mine. Gold.

However he really, really doesn't deserve it.

http://www.videosift.com/video/Defusing-land-mines-in-Cambodia-SCARY

There's a guy who does.

>> ^bcglorf:

He was one of the people who laid them in the first place. Yeah I know he was just a kid back then, and pretty much just doing what he was told to do, even though he could have refused and paid the consequence.

Yeah, let's see how you'd have turned out if at five years of age the government came in and executed your parents and then conscripted you into the army.


Don't you know? Only adults are excusable for "just following orders." Traumatized children must pay the price! We suffer the guilt of our fathers...

As long as that's clear I'm good, well, more like depressed but in agreement

Agreed. Let our disgrace cover us.

it is the case that the Khmer Rouge used US made landmines

Actually, you should probably call me out for being wrong on a much grander scale when I thought the Khmer Rouge were treated as enemies by the west. As it turns out the Khmer Rouge were enemies to the Soviets and so by Cold War tactics 101, the west officially supported them. My only excuse for my ignorance would have to be a lame appeal to it all having taken place before I was born.


We're all assholes.


As long as that's clear I'm good, well, more like depressed but in agreement.


"who has a responsibility to help make a place where there are no land mines." Let the dead bury the dead--who will care for the living?

Agreed.

>> ^bcglorf:

It is safe to say that, for all it matters, any mines laid by the Khmer Rouge were NOT western made.


So the particular mine in this video appears to be a PMN-2 which was made by the former USSR. But, it is the case that the Khmer Rouge used US made landmines (for example, the M16A1 and the M14-- NB: interesting article on how they work) This information can be easily gained with roughly 10 seconds of patience and a willingness to think before you act (something we in the US suck at). Hell, it is in the previous link I posted.


Landmines were the very least of anybody's crimes in Cambodia. Kissinger and his western kin have far more blood on their hands from carpet bombing.

My point is not that the Khmer Rouge were not assholes --they totally were. And so were we. We're all assholes. And until we go ahead and acknowledge that--we'll keep playing the finger pointing game and forget to pay attention to one of the greatest crimes continuing today. That people, right now, are suffering in Cambodia and other places like it and we're doing nothing to help.

The question should not be "who is responsible for making or placing these land mines" the question should be "who has a responsibility to help make a place where there are no land mines." Let the dead bury the dead--who will care for the living?

>> ^bcglorf:
>> ^alizarin:
>> ^zor:
Great sift! I've never seen anything like that before. Now, on to find the assholes who made those and sold them.

That'd be us - "mines found in Cambodia have been manufactured in the US, China, Vietnam, the former USSR and East Germany, the former Czechoslovakia, India, Chile, South and North Korea, Thailand, Iran, Iraq, South Africa, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia, Hungary, and Poland." - article
As of 2007, a total of 158 nations have agreed to [ban landmines]. Thirty-seven countries have not agreed to the ban, including China, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia and the United States.
We deserve a swift kick to the nuts!

Actually, the particular mines this guy is defusing would NOT be us(the western world). The video description is clear that the Khmer Rouge(communists) were the ones that laid the fields he is clearing.
I know it may seem anal but the details of how these atrocities went down are important to remember and have straight.



I believe the question was "who made the landmines" not "who laid the landmines" in which case the WEsterners would be among the culprits.
"The CMAC reports that mines found in Cambodia have been manufactured in the US, China, Vietnam, the former USSR and East Germany, the former Czechoslovakia, India, Chile, South and North Korea, Thailand, Iran, Iraq, South Africa, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia, Hungary, and Poland."

"I know it may seem anal but the details of how these atrocities went down are important to remember and have straight."

Um, I would not call him an outright hero... did you guys read the description proper? He was one of the people who laid them in the first place. Yeah I know he was just a kid back then, and pretty much just doing what he was told to do, even though he could have refused and paid the consequence. So I do give him massive kudos though for fixing up his wrongs. We forgive you.

Oh yeah and >> ^Winstonfield_Pennypacker landmines ARE banned.

Yikes. This guy has a pair. Even if I knew them as well as he clearly does, I'd still be treating those things like poison. He handles them like it's nothing. Props to this guy. He's doing good work. I'd love to see land mines banned. I'd like to see WAR banned too, but neither is going to happen.

>> ^dannym3141:
>> ^LordOderus:
Hopefully the UN will throw gobs of money at him or nominate him for the nobel peace prize or something.

Are you kidding? Some nobody who's actually out there selflessly saving lives with no regard for his own safety, taking kids in and educating them at his own expense? Never gonna happen.


Reality is even more bitter to swallow. Henry Kissinger, the man that bombed Cambodian to pieces and softened them up for the Khmer Rouge really WAS given a Nobel Peace Prize.

The lesson kids, is that if you want to be a good global citizen, you have to kill people, not save them.

>> ^alizarin:
>> ^zor:
Great sift! I've never seen anything like that before. Now, on to find the assholes who made those and sold them.

That'd be us - "mines found in Cambodia have been manufactured in the US, China, Vietnam, the former USSR and East Germany, the former Czechoslovakia, India, Chile, South and North Korea, Thailand, Iran, Iraq, South Africa, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia, Hungary, and Poland." - article
As of 2007, a total of 158 nations have agreed to [ban landmines]. Thirty-seven countries have not agreed to the ban, including China, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia and the United States.
We deserve a swift kick to the nuts!


Actually, the particular mines this guy is defusing would NOT be us(the western world). The video description is clear that the Khmer Rouge(communists) were the ones that laid the fields he is clearing. The swift kick in the nuts is still shared with us for being the ones that carpet bombed Cambodia into the stone ages 'just in case', paving the way for the Khmer Rouge to commence their own even worse genocide of the country.

I know it may seem anal but the details of how these atrocities went down are important to remember and have straight.

And the biggest reason for opposing the landmine ban is situations like Korea were tonnes of explosives hidden in land mines along the border play a big role in PREVENTING violence.

And yes, this guy rocks.

>> ^LordOderus:
Hopefully the UN will throw gobs of money at him or nominate him for the nobel peace prize or something.


Are you kidding? Some nobody who's actually out there selflessly saving lives with no regard for his own safety, taking kids in and educating them at his own expense? Never gonna happen.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'land mines, defuse, defusing, bomb, tnt, fuse' to 'land mines, defuse, defusing, bomb, tnt, fuse, demining, cambodia, knife, 00s, disability' - edited by Eklek

>> ^zor:
Great sift! I've never seen anything like that before. Now, on to find the assholes who made those and sold them.


That'd be us - "mines found in Cambodia have been manufactured in the US, China, Vietnam, the former USSR and East Germany, the former Czechoslovakia, India, Chile, South and North Korea, Thailand, Iran, Iraq, South Africa, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia, Hungary, and Poland." - article

As of 2007, a total of 158 nations have agreed to [ban landmines]. Thirty-seven countries have not agreed to the ban, including China, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia and the United States.

We deserve a swift kick to the nuts!

Your video, Defusing land mines in Cambodia (SCARY), has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'land mines, defuse, defusing, bomb, tnt, fuse' to 'land mines, defuse, defusing, bomb, tnt, fuse, go off, boom' - edited by calvados